Kili and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Halloween
by ceallaig1
Summary: Sometimes even superheroes get sick, and it takes another superhero to make things better.


Kili was miserable.

It was Halloween, and he had the coolest costume ever—he was going to be Captain America. Fili was going as Thor. Dis' sewing machine, which both her sons were convinced was magical, had created the costume, and Thorin had worked his own brand of wizardry, transforming an old oversized pizza pan into the iconic shield, and a Styrofoam block and a broken broom handle into the mighty hammer. He felt like he could take on the Red Skull, a battalion of Chitauri, and anyone else that came at him.

What he didn't see coming…was a cold.

It started the night before with a scratchy throat, and by morning it was full blown sniffles, a low fever, and coughing. He'd been kept home from school that day, missing the party in class (and Mrs. Bombur was going to bring pumpkin cupcakes too …) Fili had pleaded that he be allowed to take his brother "just for a little while, Mum, just around the block then straight back home." But Dis was having none of it, and the "no" was gentle and sad, but unequivocally firm.

So there he sat in his rad costume, bundled up in a blanket on the sofa, a cup of warm cider in his hands and a box of tissues next to him, feeling very sorry for himself. Not even iMonsters Inc./i could raise a smile out of him, and neither could his mother's very best homemade sugar cookies. Fili had given him a half-hearted smile, promising that he'd get back early and they'd do something fun together. Kili just nodded and continued crumbling a cookie into the napkin on his lap.

Life sucked.

The DVD was just ending when Fili came back, lugging a bulging sack of treats. There was a twinkle in the bright blue eyes, and the smile was far happier than the one he'd been wearing earlier. "Hey, Cap, get your mask and come upstairs with me. And bring your trick or treat bag."

"Why?"

"You'll find out. Come on."

Kili did as he was asked, and found his brother at the door of their mother's room. "I'm going inside there, and I want you to knock on the door and say 'trick or treat!'" Kili's eyebrows came down in the frown that reminded everyone so much of his uncle. "C'mon, this is gonna be fun. Just do it this once and see." He stepped into the room and closed the door.

Kili thought about just going back downstairs and finding another movie. He didn't think Fili was making fun of him – he'd never done that – but he didn't understand what was going on. Finally he huffed out a sigh, raised his little fist and knocked on the door. "Trick or treat!" He kept his voice low so no one else would hear him. If this was a joke, he was going to pound his big brother ….

The bedroom door opened and Fili's eyes went wide with surprise. "Wow, what a great costume! That deserves a special treat!" And three mini candy bars and a wrapped popcorn ball plopped into Kili's bag. "Happy Halloween!"

Kili just stared at the largesse, then up at his brother. "Thank you…" he finally managed, and a tiny grin appeared.

"Oh, we're not done yet. Follow me." Fili went to the next door on the hallway, his mother's sewing room, and instructed his little brother to knock once again. This time the 'trick or treat' was louder, and Fili's smile could have rivaled the Thunder God's lightning bolts for brightness. More candy and other goodies joined the first batch.

Through the house they went, and at each door Kili let out a "Trick or treat!" that grew in enthusiasm with every knock. Dis was in the kitchen when they came in, and together she and Fili went behind the pantry door, both exclaiming over the wonderful costume. Dis added an extra treat to his bag and hugged both of her sons, love and pride in equal measure shining in her eyes.

By the time they'd gone through every room, Kili had a hefty sack of loot, and his smile outshone his brother's. He gave Fili a hug, careful not to let his nose get in contact with the awesome costume. "Thank you, this is great!" Fili hugged him back, then Kili pulled back, a very serious expression clouding the chocolate eyes. "B-but this isn't fair," he murmured, "you can't give me so much of your stuff…"

"I didn't give you my stuff, silly; I gave you your stuff." Fili grinned at the confusion stamped all over Kili's face. "When I was out tonight, everybody asked where you were. I guess they were really looking forward to seeing that cool costume—you must have told the whole neighborhood." Kili ducked his head, embarrassment coloring his pale cheeks. "When I told them you were home with a cold, they all gave me extra and told me to take it home to you. So that's what I did. I just thought giving it to you this way might be a little more fun, and make you feel like you didn't miss out on so much after all."

"It was a wonderful idea," Dis said.

"Oh, and Mrs. Bombur said that when you feel better, she saved a pumpkin cupcake for you—you're supposed to come over after school one day and get it. I was afraid I'd squash it if I tried to carry it home in the bag."

"Neat! Still wish they coulda seen my costume, though – bet nobody had as good ones as we did."

"That's all right; next year I'll make one even better—I've already got some ideas," Dis told them. "Now, how about both of you get into your pajamas, I'll fix some popcorn…"

"With extra butter?" Kili piped up.

"Like there's any other kind? And we'll watch something together, maybe one of the Harry Potter movies?"

"iAzkaban/i!" two voices chorused. Both boys thought Sirius Black was spooky but very cool, and watching Draco Malfoy freak out at the Shrieking Shack always made them giggle.

"iAzkaban/i it is. Scoot now!"

Two pairs of feet thundered up the stairs, and they were back down in record time. Popcorn, blankets, and sodas were ready, and Kili plopped down next to his brother, favorite red bowl in his lap. Fili grabbed his purple one and popped the tabs on their sodas. "So is this an okay Halloween after all?" Fili asked during a quiet part of the movie.

"The best!"


End file.
